Halloween artificial tree

ABSTRACT

A Halloween artificial tree comprising assemblable base, trunk and crown sections. The base section defines a container for receiving ballast and has elongate protrusions of the appearance of roots. The trunk section is devoid or substantially devoid of branches. The crown section has a crown body and a plurality of branches projecting from the crown body. The branches are at least in part malleable.

The present invention relates to an artificial tree, in particular to aHalloween artificial tree or a scary, frightening, fantastical or barebranched artificial tree.

Halloween is a celebration in many parts of the world on October 31st ofeach year. Halloween is associated with spirits, mystical or scarycreatures, the dead, “trick-or-treating” and other customs and games,and autumn or fall in the northern hemisphere when leaves fall orabscise from deciduous trees.

It would be desirable to have an artificial tree which is appropriate toat least some of the associations of Halloween, to act as a focal pointof celebration. For example, it would be desirable to have a Halloweenartificial tree to act as an appropriate decoration in a home at aHalloween party. Alternatively, it may be desirable to use a Halloweenartificial tree outside of a home to act as an indicator for passingtrick-or-treaters. In particular, it would be useful to have a large orfull-size Halloween artificial tree, which therefore provides a morerealistic appearance.

Artificial trees are known with reference to Christmas. However,Christmas artificial trees have a distinctive triangular shape and arestrongly associated with the celebration of Christmas and of winter inthe northern hemisphere. The conventional emotional associations of aChristmas tree would be wholly unsuitable for the celebration ofHalloween. Furthermore, Christmas trees are not deciduous bare branchedtrees, which might not be in keeping with the autumnal association ofHalloween in the northern hemisphere.

It would be desirable to have a tree which is similar in appearance to abare branched deciduous tree, since this may have the appearance of adead tree as well as being autumn appropriate. However, the outwardlyextending branches at the top of a conventional deciduous tree maypresent a topple hazard. Additionally, the outwardly extending branchesand elongate trunk of such an artificial tree may be difficult to store.Appropriate storage of the artificial tree would be important due to therelatively short duration of celebration of Halloween, although thepresent invention aims to encourage the celebration of Halloween and theuse of the Halloween artificial tree over a longer period.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to these problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda Halloween artificial tree comprising: a base section which defines acontainer for receiving ballast and which has elongate protrusions ofthe appearance of roots; a trunk section which is devoid orsubstantially devoid of branches and which has first and second opposingends; a crown section which has a crown body and a plurality of branchesprojecting from the crown body, the branches being at least in partmalleable; the first end of the trunk section being removably mountableto the base section, and the crown section being removably mountable tothe second end of the trunk section so that the Halloween artificialtree is disassemblable for ease of storage and/or transportation.

A tree with a bare trunk and bare branches at the crown provides theappearance of a dead, late autumn, scary, or fantastical tree. Althoughgenerally mimicking the appearance of a dead tree or tree havingundergone leaf abscission, the artificial tree may have an unnatural orfantastical appearance, for example the branches not appearing suitablefor supporting leaves. Due to the bare trunk with branches at the top,the weight distribution of such a tree would be higher up than aconventional Christmas artificial tree. Additionally, the branches beingmalleable to provide for user customisation and to permit easier storagemay allow for the weight distribution to be moved away from the centreof the tree. These factors may result in the Halloween artificial treepresenting a topple hazard.

As such, the base section is included and can receive ballast to weighthe base down and prevent or limit the tree from toppling. The presenceof the substantial base, which is required for functional purposes, isdisguised with the appearance of roots, which may also add to the scaryor death-like effect of the artificial tree.

The artificial tree being disassemblable allows for easy storage, whichcan be important due to the typically short celebration of Halloween.

It will be appreciated that such an artificial tree will findapplication in residential domestic settings, as well as in a commercialsetting, for example forming part of a Halloween display in a shop, andpotentially supporting items for sale.

It will be appreciated that the term malleable refers to the branches asbeing bendable, and does not require the cross-section of the branch tobe deformable.

Whilst described as being a Halloween artificial tree, the tree may beused in non-Halloween scenarios, and may instead be referred to as ascary, frightening, autumnal or bare branched artificial tree.

Although the artificial tree is described as having elongateprotrusions, connectable sections, and a container base, it will beappreciated that this may not be the case.

Preferably, the branches may be malleable at or adjacent to thecrown-body so that the branches can be bent to extend outwardly orupwardly to adjust a footprint of the tree to assist with storage.

Advantageously, each branch comprises at least one metal wire core and apolymeric coating. The metal wire provides the malleability of thebranch. Aluminium, copper or steel wires may be selected, for example.Whilst described as a wire, it will be appreciated that this may includeother elongate elements such as rods or strips. The polymeric coatingmay provide a softer feel and more natural appearance to the tree andcould be used to bulk the branch. The polymeric coating may also preventor limit sharp ends of the wire from being exposed, and possibly mayassist with electrically insulating the tree in the instance of the treehaving an electrical connection. Each branch, and in particular a baseportion of each branch, may have multiple metal wires, for example fivemetal wires. At the base portion, the metal wires may be coatedtogether. Towards the end of the branch, the metal wires may beindividually coated, to create a dendritic appearance.

Beneficially, the coating may be disjointed to permit easier shaping ofthe branch between separated portions. Where the coating is particularlythick and is non-malleable or substantially non-malleable or at leastnot readily malleable, it may be advantageous to provide separatedcoating sections to allow for easier shaping at joints in the coating.

In a preferable embodiment, at least one of the branches may include atleast one sub-branch projecting from a main body of the branch. The treebranches may therefore be dendritic, which may provide a more naturalappearance.

Optionally, the container may have a closeable opening. This may preventor limit ballast from spilling from the opening.

Additionally, the closeable opening may be closed via a screw threadedcap. A screw-threaded cap would be convenient to open and close.

Beneficially, the container may be liquid-tight or watertight. This maypermit for water to be used as ballast.

Preferably, the trunk section and base section may be connectable via arod. Advantageously, the crown section and trunk section may beconnectable via a rod. A projection, such as a projecting rod mayprovide a secure connection. In the instance that the base sectionincludes the rod, the rod may be hollow and fluidly communicated withthe container to provide a conduit for filling the container.

Beneficially, the trunk section may comprise a body and a rod whichextends therethrough and projects at each end of the trunk to connectwith the crown and/or base. This may provide a convenient way ofmanufacturing a projection at each end and may provide structuralintegrity to the trunk section.

Additionally, the rod may comprise metal. Metal may provide suitablerigidity to the connection or trunk section. The metal is preferablysteel, although aluminium, for example may also be considered.

In a preferable embodiment, each branch may be received in a receiver onthe crown body, the receiver facing upwardly. An upward facing receiverallows for the branches to be more conveniently shaped to face upwards,and thereby reduce the footprint of the crown section for storage.

Preferably, the receiver may face an angle from a vertical direction ofbetween 15 and 60 degrees. More preferably, the receiver may face anangle from the vertical direction of 30 or substantially 30 degrees.

Advantageously, a plurality of branches may be received in the samereceiver. This may provide for more convenient production, as well asproviding the opportunity for creating the appearance of sub-branches.

For example, it will be appreciated that multiple branches can beconnected at one connection point on the trunk section. There may be abranch base element which has a protrusion or projection. The protrusionor projection could be formed from metal, such as comprising a metalrod, for example steel. The trunk section preferably has a plurality ofholes, each hole for receiving or configured to receive one of theprotrusions or projections of a branch base element. Multiple malleablebranches may extend from the branch base element. The branches may be aone-piece with the branch base element. The use of a protrusion orprojection received in a hole could be used to attach singular branches.

In a preferable embodiment, the trunk section may have a height of atleast a third of the overall height of the artificial tree.

Optionally, the base, trunk and/or crown section may comprise plastics.Plastics are convenient for various manufacturing processes. Forexample, all the components may be cast, or some components, such as thetrunk section, may be extruded. Different plastics may be considered, inparticular synthetic resins. Wood or metals could be considered,although plastics is preferred. Composite materials could also beconsidered, such as fibreglass.

Additionally, the Halloween artificial tree may be black. A blackartificial tree provides a more appropriate Halloween appearance.

Beneficially, the Halloween artificial tree may be at least 1 metretall. More preferably, the Halloween artificial tree may be at least 2metres tall. A large artificial tree provides a more natural anddramatic appearance, and is suitable for use outside.

Advantageously, an end portion of each branch or sub-branch may besufficiently malleable to form a return for securing decorations to thebranch or sub-branch.

Optionally, the crown section may be removably mountable to the basesection to form a Halloween artificial bush. The crown section beingcompatible with the base section allows for the option of the trunksection being omitted, and therefore creating the appearance of anartificial bush or shrub. This may be advantageous in instances wherethere is a height restriction. In this case, the product may instead bereferred to as a Halloween artificial tree and bush apparatus.

Preferably, the Halloween artificial tree comprises the appearance of adeciduous tree having undergone or in the process of autumnal leafabscission. An artificial tree which has the appearance of a deciduoustree having undergone or in the process of autumnal leaf abscission, inother words a typical late autumn tree, is more appropriate for thecelebration of Halloween than a typical Christmas tree.

The exterior surface of the trunk section and/or crown sectionpreferably have a tree-like or bark-like texture. In other words, anundulating texture.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided aHalloween artificial tree comprising: a base section; a trunk sectionwhich has first and second opposing ends; a crown section which has acrown body and a plurality of branches projecting from the crown body,the branches being at least in part malleable; the first end of thetrunk section being removably mountable to the base section, and thecrown section being removably mountable to the second end of the trunksection so that the Halloween artificial tree is disassemblable for easeof storage and/or transportation.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a representation of a first embodiment of a Halloweenartificial tree in accordance with the first and second aspects of theinvention, with two horizontal lines indicating a demarcation between abase section, a trunk section, and a crown section;

FIG. 2 shows a representation of the base section and a lower portion ofthe trunk section of the Halloween artificial tree of FIG. 1, with anarrow indicating a direction for connection between the two sections;

FIG. 3 shows a full view of the trunk section of FIG. 2, with an upperportion of the base section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a crown body of the crown section of the Halloweenartificial tree of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5a shows a branch of the crown section of the Halloween artificialtree of FIG. 1, with branch members in a first arrangement;

FIG. 5b shows a branch of the crown section of the Halloween artificialtree of FIG. 1, with branch members in a second arrangement;

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of a prototypical Halloween artificialtree in accordance with the first and second aspects of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows an interior of the base section and trunk section of theprototypical Halloween artificial tree of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a branch of the crown section of the prototypical Halloweenartificial tree of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 shows a top perspective view of the of the prototypical Halloweenartificial tree of FIG. 6 with some branches removed;

FIG. 10 shows a view of an upper portion of the crown section of theprototypical Halloween artificial tree of FIG. 6, with coatings of thebranches removed; and

FIG. 11 shows a view of the prototypical Halloween artificial tree ofFIG. 6, having been painted and decorated.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1 there is shown a first embodiment of aHalloween artificial tree 10 having a base section 12, a trunk section14 and a crown section 16.

Although described as a Halloween artificial tree, it will beappreciated that the product may otherwise be referred to as a scary,frightening, spooky or bare branched artificial tree.

The base section 12 is preferably frustoconical or pyramidal in shape.This shaping may assist with stability, providing a wider bottom whilstpermitting for narrowing or tapering towards the trunk section 14.Additionally, such a shape may assist with creating a more naturalappearance of a tree 10, for example assisting with creating theappearance of roots.

The base section 12 defines a container for receiving ballast. Forexample, the container may be a covered container having a closeableopening at or adjacent to an upper portion of the base section 12. Theopening may, for example, be closeable by a cap, such as ascrew-threaded cap in which case the base section 12 may have acorresponding screw-threaded receiver. Water, sand, or another pourablesubstance may be poured through the opening to fill or at least partlyfill the container. Such ballast may weigh the base section 12 toprevent of limit the artificial tree 10 from toppling when in use.

Whilst a covered container is described, it will be appreciated thatopen containers may also be considered. An open container may be moreconvenient for positioning non-pourable ballast therein, for examplepositioning large stones therein.

The container is preferably watertight or liquid-tight to permit the useof water as ballast.

Referring in addition to FIG. 2, the base section 12 includes a firsttrunk connection surface 18 for abutting, engaging or connecting withthe trunk section 14. Here the first trunk connection surface 18 isplanar or substantially planar, although it will be appreciated that itmay have a step, for example, to provide greater connection between thebase section 12 and the trunk section 14.

The base section 12 has a first trunk connector 20 for connecting to thetrunk section 14. A connection between the base section 12 and the trunksection 14 will be better understood hereinbelow.

The base section 12 is preferably between 0.3 metres m and 0.6 m tall,and is more preferably 0.45 m tall. However, other sizes may beconsidered.

The base section 12 preferably has a plurality of elongate protrusions22 extending along a surface thereof. Such elongate protrusions 22provide the appearance of tree 10 roots and therefore may be useful todisguise the base, which otherwise provides the function of supportingthe rest of the Halloween artificial tree 10. It will be appreciatedthat the protrusions 22 may contain at least part of the ballast.

Referring in addition to FIG. 3, the trunk section 14 is devoid orsubstantially devoid of branches. Whilst being described as being devoidof branches, it will be appreciated that truncated branches or branchstumps 24 may be included.

The trunk section 14 is preferably elongate and is here also cylindricalor substantially cylindrically, although it will be appreciated thatother shapes may also be considered such as cuboidal or other prismaticshapes.

At a first end 26 of the trunk section 14 there is a base connectionsurface 28 and at an opposing second end 30 of the trunk section 14there is crown connection surface 32. The base connection surface 28 andthe crown connection surface 32 are planar or substantially planar,although it will be appreciated that non-planar connection surfaces maybe considered as discussed previously. At the first end 26 of the trunksection 14 there is a base connector 34, and at the second end 30 of thetrunk section 14 there is a crown connector 36.

The trunk section 14 is preferably between 0.5 m and 1.5 m tall. Morepreferably the trunk section 14 is 0.9 m tall. However, it will beappreciated that other heights may be considered.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, the crown section 16 has a crown body 38and a plurality of branches 40 projecting therefrom. The crown body 38may be considered to be a support for the branches 40. Here the crownbody 38 is short and the branches 40 project radially from the crownbody 38 so that each branch 40 projects from a similar height. However,it will be appreciated that the crown body may be longer, and thebranches project from along its length. There may, for example, be morethan ten branches 40, and may be between forty and sixty branches.

The crown body 38 has a second trunk connection surface 42, which isplanar or substantially planar. The second trunk connection surface 42may preferably be similar or identical to the base connection surface 28of the trunk section 14. The crown body 38 has a second trunk connector44.

Referring now to FIGS. 5a and 5b , the branches 40 are at least in partmalleable or shapeable. Therefore, at least a portion of the branches 40are flexible without being resilient. This has the result that thebranches 40 can be shaped, with the shape being maintained for at leasta significant duration. Preferably, the majority, or the entirety of thebranches are malleable. To achieve such an effect, the branches 40 maycomprise readily bendable metal. For example, the branches 40 maycomprise a metal wire, a metal rope, a metal strip or a metal rod. Themetal and thickness of wire may be selected to permit convenient andrepeatable bending to allow for shaping and reshaping of the branch 40.For example, the metal may comprise aluminium, copper or steel or alloysthereof.

The metal may be covered or coated by another material. This may be donefor a variety of reasons, for example to bulk the branch 40 withoutrequiring a large thickness of metal, to improve an appearance of thebranch 40, to prevent corrosion of the metal, or to avoid the presenceof sharp metal ends of the branch 40. Such a covering material may be apolymeric material, such as plastics or rubber. However, it will beappreciated that other materials may be considered. Since the metal coreis malleable and non-resilient, the coating material may be a resilientmaterial, given that the metal core would hold the shape of the coating.

As can be seen in FIGS. 5a and 5b , each branch 40 may be received in areceiver 46 on the crown body 38, the receiver 46 facing upwardly. Thereceiver 46 may, for example, define a hole or recess in which thebranches 40 are securable. There may be multiple branches 40 received ineach receiver 46, for example there may be five branches 40 in eachreceiver 46. The branches 40 in a receiver 46 may be arranged so thatthey each face the same direction.

The receivers 46 generally face upwardly. For example, here thereceivers 46 face an upward direction at an angle to the verticaldirection. Here the angle to the vertical direction is between 15degrees and 60 degrees, and is preferably 30 degrees or substantially 30degrees. However, other angles may be considered. The advantage of thereceivers 46, and therefore branches 40, facing upwards is that thisreduces the width of the crown section 16, so that it can be fit intosmaller packaging. Additionally, the branch ends facing upwardly mayhelp to prevent them from being caught on the side of the packaging, asthe crown section 16 is being inserted. The crown section 16 istherefore easier to store.

When comparing FIGS. 5a and 5b , it can be seen that a user may adjustthe shape of the branches 40 from a first arrangement, where thebranches 40 received in one receiver 46 are parallel to each other, to asecond arrangement, where the branches 40 received in one receiver 46are misaligned from each other and extend in different directions. Thisallows for a user to adjust the shape of the branches 40 of theirHalloween artificial tree 10 according to their individual preferencewhich may prevent or limit the chance of any two trees 10 appearing thesame. The malleability of the branches 40 is such that they may bepreferably bendable and shapeable in more than one plane. In otherwords, the branches 40 may be bendable and shapeable inthree-dimensions.

Other branch arrangements to the above may be considered. For example, arigid or pliantly flexible branch base, which is not malleable, mayextend from the crown body. From the branch base, malleable branches mayextend in a similar arrangement to the above. Alternatively, the branchbase may also be malleable.

Additionally or alternatively, whilst branch receivers with multiplebranches therein are described, it will be appreciated that this may notbe the case and in fact at least some of the branches may beindividually arranged or connected to the crown body.

The crown section 16 is preferably between 0.5 m and 1. 5 m tall, and ismore preferably 1 m tall. However, it will be appreciated that otherheights may be considered. The height of the crown section 16 may bedefined between the bottom of the crown body 38 and the tip of thebranch 40 which can be extended most upwards.

The base section 12 is separably or disconnectably connectable with thetrunk section 14 via inter-engagement of the first trunk connector 20and the base connector 34. The trunk section 14 and the base section 12are preferably interconnected via a projection, protrusion or maleconnector, which is here a rod. The rod is preferably a metal rod, andmay, for example comprise steel, although other metals such as aluminiummay be considered, and other materials such as wood or plastics may beconsidered.

The first trunk connector 20 may comprise the projecting rod and thebase connector 34 may comprise a hole, recess or female connector. Thefirst trunk connector 20 may therefore be received in the base connector34 to connect the base section 12 and trunk section 14. Alternatively,the base connector 34 may comprise the rod, and the first trunkconnector 20 may comprise the hole. As a further option, both the trunksection 14 and the base section 12 may comprise holes and the rod may beseparable from the two sections and insertable into the holes to form aconnection therebetween, in the manner of a dowel joint. It will beappreciated that the base section 12 and the trunk section 14 may eachcomprise a projection and a hole, the projection of the trunk section 14being receivable in the hole of the base section 12 and vice versa.

The trunk section 14 and the crown section 16 may be connectable in asimilar manner to the above with the crown connector 36 of the trunksection 14 and the second trunk connector 44 of the crown section 16comprising a projection and/or a hole. FIG. 3 shows the trunk section 14including a projection at the second end 30 and FIG. 4 shows the crownsection 16 including a projection. In this case, it will be appreciatedthat both sections may include holes and a separate rod may beinsertable therebetween.

In a possible arrangement, the second trunk connector 44 may becompatible with the first trunk connector 20 so that the base section 12and crown section 16 can be directly joined. For example, the firsttrunk connector 20 may comprise a projection and the second trunkconnector 44 may comprise a hole. In this way, the trunk section 14 maybe omitted, which may be preferable in the instance of heightlimitations, and the formation of a Halloween artificial bush or smallerHalloween artificial tree may be possible. To enable this versatilearrangement, the first and second ends 26, 30 of the trunk section 14should be similar or identical, although the first end 26 should includea hole and the second end 30 should include a projection, or vice versaif required.

The crown section 16 being compatible with the base section 12 may alsoallow for easier shaping of the branches 40. For example, in theinstance that the tree 10 is tall, the branches 40 of the crown section16 may be outside convenient reach of a user when the tree 10 is fullyassembled with the trunk section 14. Therefore, the crown section 16 maybe firstly connected with the base section 12 so that the branches 40are within easy reach. The branches 40 can then be shaped before thecrown section 16 is removed from the base section 12, the trunk section14 attached to the base section 12, and the crown section 16 with theshaped branches 40 attached to the trunk section 14.

It will be appreciated that, for ease of manufacturing and to aidstructural integrity of the trunk section 14, a rod may extend throughthe length of the trunk section 14 and project at each end. In this casethe first and second trunk connectors 20, 44 should be holes.

The Halloween artificial tree 10 may be formed from various materials.For example, preferably, the base section 12, trunk section 14 and crownbody 38 comprise plastics, such as resin, which may be cast or moulded.As a possible option the base section 12 may comprise wood, with acontainer which is formed from plastics, or otherwise waterproofed,defined therein. Alternatively, the whole base section 12 may compriseplastics or metal. The trunk section 14 may comprise wood, plastics, ormetal optionally with a metal core as previously described if required.The crown body 38 may comprise wood, plastics or metal.

The Halloween artificial tree 10 is preferably a dark colour, mostpreferably black, dark brown or dark grey, to provide an appropriateHalloween appearance.

The Halloween artificial tree 10 is large, and is therefore comparablein size to a small tree 10 to provide a realistic and dramaticappearance. For example, the Halloween artificial tree 10 is preferablyin total at least 1 m tall, and is more preferably at least 2 m tall.

In use, the Halloween artificial tree 10 may be assembled viapositioning the base section 12 with the first trunk connector 20 facingupwards. The container may then be filled with ballast, although it willbe appreciated that this may be done after the artificial tree 10 hasbeen assembled. Next the trunk section 14 is attached or connected tothe base section 12 via interengagement of the first trunk connector 20and the base connector 34. The crown section 16 may then be attached tothe trunk section 14 via interengagement of the second trunk connector44 and the crown connector 36.

The branches 40 can then be bent and shaped according to the user'sspecific desire. For example, initially the branches 40 may be pointingin steep upwards direction to reduce a footprint or cross-sectional areaof the crown section 16. At least some of the branches 40 may then bebent to face a different direction, for example a downwards direction, asidewards direction, or a less steep upwards direction. As well as beingbendable in an upwardly and downwardly direction, the branches 40 arepreferably also bendable in a side-to-side direction. This may allow forthe formation of many different appearances of the artificial tree 10.

Decorations may be positioned on the branches 40, for example being hungfrom the branches 40 on a loop of string. The malleability of thebranches 40 may assist with the securing of decorations. For example,the branches 40 may be levelled or directed slightly upwardly, toprevent or limit the risk of decorations sliding off the branches 40.Additionally or alternatively, it will be appreciated that an endportion of branch 40 may be sufficiently malleable to allow for a returnto be formed. In other words, the end of the branch 40 may be bent backtowards the crown body 38. This may assist with securing decorations.The end of the branch 40 may even be folded back across the loop ofstring of the decoration, or wrapped around the loop of string of thedecoration to provide added securement. The use of decorations will bebetter understood hereinbelow.

The Halloween artificial tree 10 may then be disassembled and thedecorations removed if relevant. To assist with storage, the sectionsare separated and the branches 40 may be bent so as to be directedupwards. The branches 40 being bent upwards may reduce the footprint ofthe crown section 16. It will be appreciated that the branches 40 mayeven be sufficiently malleable to be bent back upon themselves, andtherefore folded so as to reduce the footprint of the crown section 16.The ballast may be removed from the base if so desired.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a second embodiment of the Halloween artificialtree 110 can be seen. The second embodiment 110 is a prototype, and hasbeen constructed from wood for convenience. As such, it will beappreciated that whilst wood is described and shown, this is not thepreferable arrangement, and more preferably plastics, such as resin,will be used.

Similar or identical reference numerals are used as for the firstembodiment, with 100 added. The second embodiment has a base section112, trunk section 114 and crown section 116. Whilst it is preferablefor the sections to be separably or disconnectably connectable, it willbe appreciated that in this embodiment the sections may not necessarilybe separable or disconnectable.

Referring to FIG. 7, an underlying support structure of the base section112 and trunk section 114 can be seen. The base section 112 of thesecond embodiment comprises a planar ground engagement element 150 and aplurality of support elements 152 arranged thereon to support the trunksection 114. The base section 112 is preferably formed of timber, lumberor wood.

If the base section 112 includes a container, it will be appreciatedthat the container may be positioned around, on top of, or to the sideof the support elements 152. The support elements 152 and groundengagement element 150 of the base section 112 are covered and haveelongate protrusions 122 to provide the appearance of tree roots, as canbe seen in FIG. 6.

Whilst this arrangement is shown, it will be appreciated that this is aprototype, and more preferably the base may be cast from plastics andthe support elements or base section may not be necessary.

The trunk section 114, as shown in FIG. 7, may comprise a central core154 of timber, lumber or wood and is supported by the support elements152 of the base section 112.

The trunk section 114 may be covered to provide the appearance of anatural tree 110 trunk, as can be seen in FIG. 6.

Referring again to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the crown body 138 of thecrown section 116 is elongate and branches 140 are secured, attached orconnected along a length thereof.

As shown in FIG. 8, the elongate crown body 138 may comprise a woodencore 156. It will be appreciated that the core 156 of the crown body 138may be unitarily formed with the core 154 of the trunk section 114.

The branches 140 may be attached to the crown body 138 via receivers146. The receivers are secured to the crown body 138, and here the core156 of the crown body 138. Such securement may be via fasteners oradhesive, for example.

Here there are a plurality of metal wires attached via the receiver 146.All or a plurality of the wires may be coated together, or alternativelythe wires may be individually coated.

Referring now to FIG. 9, it can be seen that a covering of the crownbody 138, which may cover the core 156, has a plurality of holes 158therein, each hole 158 for receiving a branch 140 therethrough.

Additionally, the wire or rod of the branch 140 of FIG. 9 has at least aportion 160 of a coating of a greater thickness at or adjacent to thecrown body 138. Here the coating includes a foam sheath, which may be apolymeric foam such as polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, orpolystyrene foam. However, it will be appreciated that this is aprototypical arrangement, and so foam may not be used in reality.Instead, plastic mouldings may be used, such as resin mouldings. Athicker coating at or adjacent to the base may provide a more naturalappearance to the branch 140. Here the thicker portion of coating issplit into separate elements 160 a, 160 b, which may allow for bendingof the metal core between the elements and so still permit at least someshaping of the branch 140 at or adjacent to the crown body 138.

Referring to FIG. 10, a plurality of branch groups 162 can be seen,projecting from the crown body 138, each branch group 162 comprising aplurality of branches 140.

The metal wires or rods of the branches 140 of the branch group 162 maybe secured together along a portion of a length thereof, the portionbeing proximal to the crown body 138. The securement is here achieved bytape 164, although other securing means may be considered. Therefore,the portions of the metal wires proximal to the crown body 138 may notbe independently bendable or movable and may be coated together so as tohave the appearance of a single branch or branch base. The end or distalportions of the metal wires of the branch group 162 may not be securedtogether and may be individually coated so as to be independentlymoveable and shapeable and therefore have the appearance ofsub-branches. Such an arrangement therefore allows for the creation ofthe appearance of a branch base with a plurality of sub-branchesextending therefrom. Additionally, it will be appreciated that, forexample, an intermediate portion of two of the metal wires may besecured and coated together, with the end portions of the two wiresindependently moveable and coated. This may therefore create theappearance of two further sub-branches, projecting from a sub-branch,which in turn projects from the branch base. Such an arrangement mayprovide a dendritic or branched effect for the crown section, which maytherefore appear more natural.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the prototypical artificial Halloween tree 110has been painted or otherwise coloured black. Decorations 166, such asbaubles, have been hung from the branches 140. A lighting element 168,which here comprises fairy lights or Christmas lights, have beenarranged on the trunk section 114 and branches 140. Other decorativeelements 170, which here includes imitation skeleton bones, have beenpositioned around the base 112.

Whilst the base is described as having a container for filling withballast, it will be appreciated that in fact this may be omitted and,for example, the base may already be appropriately weighted. Forexample, the base may include a high-density material such as steel oriron.

Whilst the branches are described as malleable, it will be appreciatedthat the branches may in fact not be malleable, and may be hinged orresiliently flexible.

Although a single trunk section is described, it will be appreciatedthat multiple trunk sections may be provided to provide options fordifferent heights of artificial tree, and/or to provide for moreconvenient storage. For example, different Halloween artificial treesmay be offered with a trunk section or middle section of differentlengths, or a Halloween artificial tree may be offered with multipletrunk sections or middle sections of different lengths to provide theoption of different heights. Connectable segments of trunk section ormiddle section may be considered to provide more options for treeheight.

Various other features may be envisaged. For example, the artificialtree may include lighting or audio. The lighting or audio may be poweredby an electrical power supply which has conductors which extends throughthe base section. Electrical conductors in the trunk section may beconnected to those of the base section when the trunk section and basesection are connected. Connection of the trunk section with the basesection may therefore act as a switch for activating the lighting oraudio. The artificial tree may also include motion or proximity sensorswhich may trigger activation of the audio or lighting. The artificialtree may include motors or actuators, for example to permit movement ofthe branches, or rotation of the crown or trunk section. The trunksection or crown section may include a recess in the appearance of atree knot for receiving treats, such as sweets or candies, fortrick-or-treaters. The recess may include a proximity or motion sensorfor activating audio or lighting in response to the insertion of a handinto the recess. Alternatively, the recess may include an open containerfor receiving a fluid, such as a gel, to act as a trick for thoseinserting their hand into the recess.

It is therefore possible to provide an artificial tree which is suitablefor Halloween. A bare trunk and bare branches provide an appropriateappearance for the associations of Halloween. In view of the branchesbeing only at or adjacent to the top of the tree, and the branches beingmoveable, a weighted base provides the necessary stability for theartificial tree, which may otherwise be top-heavy and pose atopple-hazard. Due to the typically brief duration of the celebration ofHalloween, the artificial tree being collapsible and having bendablebranches permits for convenient storage.

The words ‘comprises/comprising’ and the words ‘having/including’ whenused herein with reference to the present invention are used to specifythe presence of stated features, integers, steps or components, but donot preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, forclarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also beprovided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures of the invention which are, for brevity, described in thecontext of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or inany suitable sub-combination.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only,and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled inthe field without departing from the scope of the invention as definedherein.

1. A Halloween artificial tree comprising: a base section which definesa container for receiving ballast and which has elongate protrusions ofthe appearance of roots; a trunk section which is any one of devoid andsubstantially devoid of branches and which has first and second opposingends; a crown section which has a crown body and a plurality of branchesprojecting from the crown body, the branches being at least in partmalleable; the first end of the trunk section configured so as to beremovably mountable to the base section, and the crown sectionconfigured so as to be removably mountable to the second end of thetrunk section so that the Halloween artificial tree is configured so asto be disassemblable for ease of at least any one of storage andtransportation.
 2. The Halloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 1,wherein the branches are configured so as to be malleable at or adjacentto the crown-body so that the branches can be bent to extend outwardlyor upwardly to adjust a footprint of the tree to assist with storage. 3.The Halloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein each branchcomprises at least one metal wire core and a polymeric coating.
 4. TheHalloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe branches includes at least one sub-branch projecting from a mainbody of the branch.
 5. The Halloween artificial tree as claimed in claim1, wherein the container has an opening which is configured to becloseable.
 6. The Halloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 1,wherein the container is liquid-tight.
 7. The Halloween artificial treeas claimed in claim 1, wherein the trunk section and base section areconfigured to be connected via a rod.
 8. The Halloween artificial treeas claimed claim 7, wherein the rod comprises metal
 9. The Halloweenartificial tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crown section andtrunk section are configured to be connected via a rod.
 10. TheHalloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the trunksection comprises a body and a rod which is configured to extendtherethrough and project at each end of the trunk to connect with atleast any one of the crown section and base section.
 11. The Halloweenartificial tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein each branch is configuredto be received in a receiver on the crown body, the receiver isconfigured to face upwardly.
 12. The Halloween artificial tree asclaimed in claim 11, wherein the receiver is configured to face an anglefrom a vertical direction of between 15 and 60 degrees.
 13. TheHalloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 11, wherein a plurality ofbranches is configured to be received in the same receiver.
 14. TheHalloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein the trunksection has a height of at least a third of the overall height of theHalloween artificial tree.
 15. The Halloween artificial tree as claimedin claim 1, wherein at least any one of the base, trunk and crownsections comprise plastics.
 16. The Halloween artificial tree as claimedin claim 1, wherein the Halloween artificial tree is at least 1 metretall.
 17. The Halloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 16, whereinthe Halloween artificial tree is at least 2 metres tall.
 18. TheHalloween artificial tree as claimed in claim 1, wherein an end portionof each branch is configured so as to be sufficiently malleable to forma return for securing decorations to the branch.
 19. The Halloweenartificial tree as claimed claim 1, wherein the crown section isconfigured so as to be removably mountable to the base section to form aHalloween artificial bush.
 20. A Halloween artificial tree comprising: abase section; a trunk section which has first and second opposing ends;a crown section which has a crown body and a plurality of branchesprojecting from the crown body, the branches being at least in partmalleable; the first end of the trunk section configured so as to beremovably mountable to the base section, and the crown sectionconfigured so as to be removably mountable to the second end of thetrunk section so that the Halloween artificial tree is configured so asto be disassemblable for ease of at least any one of storage andtransportation.